IAQ Services in California

Listing of Consultants Offering
IAQ Services in California

How to Use This List

Guidance for Hiring IAQ Consultants

How to be Added to New List

last updated: April 12, 2007

prepared by

Indoor Air Quality Section
CDHS- Environmental Health Laboratory Branch

850 Marina Bay Parkway (G-365/EHLB), Richmond, CA 94804

Telephone: 510-620-2800 / FAX: 510-620-2825
URL: http://www.dhs.ca.gov/iaq

DISCLAIMER

This list is provided by the California Department of Health Services (CDHS), Indoor Air Quality Section as a service to the public and to aid those who want to hire professional assistance in addressing IAQ problems.  The information presented in the list is "self-reported" by the listed firms, and its accuracy is not verified by the CDHS. Firms included on this list are in no way specifically endorsed or certified by the CDHS.

How to Use This List

    This list has been prepared to identify consultants that promote themselves as capable of providing indoor air quality diagnostic or mitigation services. It is aimed to assist individuals or organizations considering whether to contract with a firm for such services. The information provided should help you sort through the list and narrow your search to those firms with the services you need and which are located near you (this is less important for laboratories to which you plan only to mail samples). Before making your decision, make a short list of firms to contact and obtain the following information concerning the nature of their firm and the services they can perform. Having this information from more than one source will help you be certain that you are choosing the one that best suits your needs. Use these contacts to confirm whether you need to hire an IAQ professional.

Carefully describe the problem.
    Try to avoid presupposing what is causing the problem, emphasizing instead what the specific nature of the problem is. Start with a brief, concise description, since an initial contact will often forward you to someone else in the company, based on this information.

Find out what the firm can do and what it will charge.
    Some of these items are addressed in the list, but because the format is abbreviated, it is important to confirm that the information is relevant and accurate. Ask the following questions and others that you think are appropriate:

• What is your firm's experience in diagnosing problems of this nature?
• What kind of personnel would perform the work?
• How much will it cost? Do you require a deposit?
• What laboratory will analyze field samples, if these are collected?
• How long has the firm been in business? How long has your firm done this type of work?

Be certain you are getting the services you need:

• Ask the company representative to explain the nature of the diagnosis and/or mitigation they will perform.
• Be sure they have explained any test methods they will use so that you can understand it.
• Don't be pressed by an IAQ professional into the use of expensive testing, unless it can be explained why this information is needed to solve your problem.
• Don't insist they do testing, when they feel that the results are not likely to give you information you really need.

Check References and Complaints.
    Firms that have been in business for a long time and have a permanent address have a better chance of having developed a reputation that you can check out:

• Ask for references, including other clients who have used the firm, can verity that the firm can provide the services you need, and were satisfied with quality of the services.
• You can contact your local Better Business Bureau (listed in the phone book) or the State Department of Consumer Affairs (www.dca.ca.gov or 800-952-5210) to determine if unresolved complaints have been lodged against the firm.
• Report any instances of fraud or misrepresentation to the organizations mentioned above. They can also assist you in resolving disputes or conflicts, if these develop.

Check for Conflict of Interests.
    Be aware that firms that sell mitigation devices as their main business may have a conflict of interest; they may tend to gear their diagnoses and recommendations toward the use of their mitigation devices or services.

• Find out if the firm also sells mitigation services or devices, such as air duct cleaning services or air cleaners.
• Reconsider hiring any firm that misrepresents itself as having been approved or endorsed in any way by virtue of its inclusion in this list.

Obtain a written contract:

• Carefully read the contract to make sure that the services the consultant will provide are clearly described and the charges are fully defined.
• Be certain that you and the consultant are in agreement on what kind of report you will receive and when. Understand that you will pay more when you need results "immediately".
• In the case of mitigation service, verify whether there are warranties to retest or continue services to resolve problems, if they recur.

You can find further information on our web site: www.cal-iaq.org, including useful guidance from these sources:

• Guidelines for Selecting an Indoor Air Quality Consultant (http://www.cal-iaq.org/guide_aiha_9901.htm), modified from "Operation Outreach," American Industrial Hygiene Association (http://www.aiha.org).
• Hiring Professional Assistance to Solve an IAQ Problem (http://www.cal-iaq.org/guide_baq_9901.htm), modified from Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers, NIOSH Publication 91-114 .
• Hiring Professional Assistance (http://www.cal-iaq.org/guide_ak_9901.htm), modified from Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: IAQ Coordinator's Guide (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/tools4s2.html), U.S. EPA Publication 402-K-95-001.

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